Today’s word of the day is 气 (qì) which means ‘energy’. Let’s practice making different words, phrases and sentences with 气 (qì).
福气 (fú qi) Good fortune
The first word is 福气 (fú qi) which means ‘good fortune’. Let’s look at each character of this word, 福 means ‘fortune’, and 气 means ‘energy’. A way of using it in a sentence is: 能有这么好的女儿是你的福气。(Néng yǒu zhème hǎo de nǚ'ér shì nǐ de fúqi.) It’s such good fortune that you have such a wonderful daughter.
气氛 (qì fēn) Mood
Another word we can create with 气 (qì) is 气氛 (qì fēn). This is a noun that means mood. A way of using it in a sentence is 我很喜欢圣诞节欢乐祥和的气氛。(Wǒ hěn xǐhuan shèngdàn jié huānlè xiánghé de qìfēn.) I like the joyful and peaceful atmosphere of Christmas.
客气 (kè qi) Polite
Finally, we can create the word 客气 (kè qi) which means ‘polite’. The 客 here means ‘guest’. A very common phrase you will hear from a host at dinner parties is 大家别客气，自己来吧！ (Dàjiā bié kèqì, zìjǐ lái ba!) Everyone, don’t be too polite and help yourselves!